1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to machines for fastening stretched pieces of elastic band to a sheet and to apparatuses for producing a composite sheet intended for providing diapers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
On an industrial scale, diapers are manufactured continuously by means of an apparatus in which a sheet of impermeable material, such as polyethylene, and a permeable sheet, such as of a non-woven material, are bonded to one another with uniformly spaced wads of absorbent material being interposed between these sheets.
The composite sheet formed in this way is subsequently cut transversely between the absorbent wads and each piece of the composite sheet, cut off in this way, is intended to form a diaper.
During this production, it is known to bond, between the two sheets, two elastic bands each of which extend longitudinally over the composite sheet at respective lateral ends of the latter. These elastic bands are bonded, when stretched between the sheet as flatly arranged, so that pleats or puckers are formed on the lateral edges of the diapers when slackened.
However, the bonding of stretched pieces of elastic band transversely between the two flatly arranged sheets, to product diapers provided with an elastic tape at each of their longitudinal ends, presents a problem in production.
In fact, the operation of bonding stretched pieces to a sheet at regular intervals so that these pieces of band extend in a transverse direction relative to the direction of movement of the sheet, is a difficult one inasmuch as the pieces of band have to be delivered regularly and stretched and laid on the sheet in such a manner that these pieces are bonded while extending and being stretched in a transverse direction relative to the direction of movement of the sheet.